Summer had arrived, and the weather was growing increasingly sweltering. Many construction sites had strung up linen cloths for shade just so the workers could continue their jobs.
Inside the study, Lucas was handling government affairs. The room currently felt like a steamer; it was incredibly stuffy and hot, leaving everyone irritable.
"It's so hot, it's really so hot," Annie voiced weakly. She lay limply across the desk, her mouth open and her small tongue sticking out. She was wearing a tank top that left her soft, fair shoulders completely exposed.
"Calm your mind," Lucas said, setting down his documents and wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"Master, I can't calm down. The heat just makes me so frustrated." Annie tugged at the shoulder strap of her tank top. One strap slipped completely off, revealing her fair, faintly flushed shoulder.
"Annie!" Nicole immediately called out, rolling her eyes at the fox-eared girl's utterly defenseless behavior.
"Ah?" Annie turned her head, completely clueless, and looked at Nicole. "What is it?"
"Look!" Nicole jutted her chin and pursed her lips toward the fox-eared girl's shoulder.
"Hm?" Annie looked down, and her cheeks instantly flushed crimson. She hurriedly sat up and scrambled to pull the strap back into place.
The tank top she was currently wearing had been given to her by the Master. Every girl in the castle probably had a few. They were exceptionally cool and refreshing, especially when worn to sleep.
"Hehe..." Mina chuckled lightly, her eyes flashing with a strange light as she teased, "Annie, what exactly are you trying to do?"
"I-I didn't... I didn't do anything!" Annie stammered. Her eyes shifted toward Lucas, and upon meeting his smiling eyes, her cheeks grew even redder.
"Alright. If it's really still too hot, I'll figure something else out," Lucas spoke up to rescue the fox-eared girl from her embarrassment.
It had been several days since Elisa, Dahlia, and the others left Sedona City, yet he still hadn't received the saltpeter that Ayesha and her group were supposed to deliver.
"Figure what out?" Annie quickly asked. She couldn't focus at all right now; whenever she thought about annoying things, her temper flared up easily.
"Nicole, go to the inner vault and bring out box number seven hundred and twenty," Lucas instructed, turning his head.
"Understood." Nicole stood up, grabbed a linen coat hanging nearby, and draped it over her bare shoulders. Given the sweltering heat, she was also wearing a tank top, but she only wore it inside the study or her own room; she still had to dress more conservatively when going out.
Creak...
Watching the study door open, Lucas turned to Annie and asked, "How is the indoor swimming pool I ordered coming along?"
Having an indoor swimming pool in this heat would be amazing. Back on Earth, he wouldn't have dared to dream of owning one, but now, as a lord of his own territory, such a request was trivially simple.
"It's already been dug out. We're just waiting on the tiles to finish firing," Annie said, her eyes full of anticipation. She, too, was eager for the pool to be completed.
"That's good," Lucas nodded. Thinking of a related issue he hadn't checked on recently, he asked, "How is the tap water system?"
"Half the city is connected to the water supply. Everyone is incredibly happy that they don't have to go out and haul water anymore," Annie said cheerfully.
"Have our people keep a close eye on the reservoir's source. We absolutely cannot allow any issues there," Lucas instructed the cat-eared girl.
"I've already had the reservoir classified as a restricted military zone. Not even a single mouse can get in," Mina said with a serious face.
Recently, she, Annie, Nicole, Helen, and the others had been studying sanitation and hygiene—specifically regarding plagues, viruses, and the like.
"It seems we can't rely entirely on the reservoir for water," Lucas said, rubbing his chin. He was considering using the siphon principle to draw water from the Whispering River to supply Sedona City.
The siphon principle utilizes the force created by a difference in liquid elevation. When an inverted U-shaped tube is filled with liquid and the higher end is placed in a liquid-filled container, the liquid will continuously flow out through the siphon tube to a lower elevation.
This meant Lucas needed to find a river with a water level higher than the ground elevation of Sedona City. The current water supply was sufficient for the city as it was, but once the population increased further, it wouldn't be enough. He had to plan ahead for this.
"Master, are you thinking about the new urban district?" Annie frowned. She had seen the blueprints for the new district; it was a massive expanse of high-rise buildings, packed as densely as a forest.
"Yes. Once the new district is built, our current water won't be enough," Lucas replied casually, pulling out a map to inspect.
"Master, there's a lake in the mountains over here." Mina leaned over to look at the map and suddenly pointed to the edge. "However, it's a bit far from Sedona City."
"Is it?" Lucas frowned. He knew of this lake; it was located in the Forbidden Mountains. It sat at a high elevation and was a living water lake, fed by flowing springs.
Taking a ruler, he looked at the scale and pondered. If they used pipes to supply water via the siphon effect, it would be more than enough for a whole city district. Furthermore, the water pressure would be sufficient to push the water up into the high-rise buildings, making it far superior to a standard reservoir.
Lucas turned to Mina. "Have someone declare that entire area a restricted zone, and send people to clear out the surrounding."
"Understood," Mina quickly complied.
"It seems the siphon principle should also be added to the school's curriculum," Lucas muttered to himself. Many future city construction projects would require the use of the siphon principle, especially for water conservancy and similar municipal engineering.
He felt the need to compile a comprehensive curriculum on siphon water supply systems, as well as sanitation knowledge. In this sweltering weather, water sources could easily become contaminated.
This was especially critical for cities that relied on a single water source. If it became polluted, an entire city could easily die from drinking it. After all, there were no modern water treatment plants here.
Moreover, when his students eventually went out to govern different regions, they would desperately need this scientific knowledge. They couldn't just be given all these favorable conditions but still resort to carrying buckets of water or digging random wells everywhere.
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200 power stones.
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